The Old Lie: Dulce et Decorum est pro patria mori?

Rudyard Kipling, poet, novelist, and a landmark figure in English literature in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was the first English writer to win the Nobel Prize for Literature and was proposed to be awarded the title of British Poet Laureate. and a knighthood, both of which he declined; Henry James called him "the most gifted man he had ever seen". Kipling was born in the 1860s, the heyday of the second British Empire, when the great ships of the United Kingdom sailed smoothly across the seas of the world, before the decline was evident. At this time a hundred years ago, Napoleon, the most powerful enemy of the empire, had not yet been born, and the Duke of Wellington who defeated him had not yet been born, but the defenders of the empire, Prime Minister William Pitt and General Horatio Nelson, were both young, This was followed by the war of independence in which the colonies of the thirteen states of the United States broke away from the suzerain, and the French Revolution that shook the old world and traditions. In the torrent of the French Revolution, Napoleon was born and conquered Europe. Prime Minister Pitt cleaned up the financial mess under the helm and began a difficult journey to deal with the dead hero. From the 18th century to the 19th century, Great Britain became the United Kingdom, and the second British Empire was gradually taking shape. After a long period of setbacks, hardships and various difficulties, Britain, under the leadership of the people who can best embody the national character, defeated the once invincible Napoleon and his French Empire, and stood as the master of Europe. For a hundred years, until the time of Kipling's birth, in spite of the turmoil in the East, Europe was peaceful, the warm sun of Victoria shrouded England, and the Empire stretched its tentacles far away, controlling its lands and territories. the destiny of the people. Kipling is Anglo-Indian, and the complex issues of identity and national identity will feature prominently in his literary creation. Although not from an aristocratic family, Kipling's family environment was full of prominent figures. One of his uncles was the famous Pre-Raphaelite painter Edward Burne-Jones, and one of his cousins ​​was a future conservative. Party Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin.

Patriotism has never been a kind of illusory, blind, and irrational enthusiasm. The soul of the Spartan warriors is still stationed in the hot springs, and the early Romans also relied on this simple and enthusiastic emotion to endure the Punic War. The greatest crisis of all, the establishment of the Roman Empire. Patriotism is closely related to the history and culture of a nation. If the history and culture of a nation are not worthy of the pride of its people, where will the sense of belonging and patriotism come from? Kipling was born in such an age, looking back, shining brightly, looking to the future, and looking forward to the infinite, what reason could he not be filled with patriotic enthusiasm? Is there any reason why he doesn't choose to stand with his own country when he needs to stand up and do his part? In "My Child Jack", when the daughter blames the father for sending the son to death, Kipling can only try his best to explain to his wife and daughter that in order to defend the history of this country, the glory of this country, they should do it own responsibility.

Like many fathers in the war, this father had a son who went to the front. Young John wants to join the army, but his low vision blocks his access to the army. He tried twice and was rejected. Kipling was a lifelong friend of Lord Roberts, commander-in-chief of the British Army at the time and head of the Irish Guards. At Kipling's request, John was accepted into the Irish Guards. During the tragic Battle of Loos in 1915, John was last seen writhing in the quagmire when an exploding shell ripped open his face. His body was never found for burial, but was confirmed dead in September at the age of 18. After losing his son, Kipling wrote the following sentence: "If anyone asks why we died, tell them, because our fathers lied." (If any question why we died/Tell them, because our fathers lied. ) may be implicit in his guilt for his role in John's death.

Regrettably, the tragedy of the Kipling family is not only the tragedy of individual families, but the tragedy of thousands of families at that time, and the pain and regret of Kipling is not only his personal pain and regret, from Britain to declare war on Germany. From that moment on, such pain and regret are destined not to belong to one family, but to the entire country and nation, and will continue into the future, even affecting another world war.

As I watched the movie, I kept thinking of the many individuals whose fates could be opposed to John Kipling, such as Robert Graves when he was 19 when he was in the army, Edward Wyndham Trant Tennant was 17 and Wilfred Owen was 22. They all volunteered to join the army. In particular, Edward Windham, who died at the Battle of the Somme, was a student at Winchester when World War I broke out, and he took up arms to fight for his country. He was the youngest Winchester to join the war, from a noble family, and was preparing to enter the Foreign Office before the war. In the field letters he sent home to his mother, the boy approached the dire situations and unimaginable dangers he faced with a fearless optimism and positivity, and his bravery and love for his family were not overshadowed by the premonition of death. deprivation. And it was many such excellent British sons who were buried in the war. The question here is, why did they go to war? Do they have self-awareness? Was it brainwashed by patriotic propaganda and education, or deceived by "the lies of the fathers"? warlike? Thirst for glory? Forced into battle, because those who remain in the UK are seen as cowards and despised? Or being drafted and unable to come up with a reasonable excuse to be exempt from military service? Or voluntarily go to the front lines to defend the motherland and loved ones? Or because brothers, friends, classmates, teachers, and students are all working hard in a foreign country, and they feel guilty and cannot stand by?

I think the situation should be varied, and I cannot accept the indiscriminate hat of "being deceived by my father's lies" on all bloodshed victims, as if they were completely without free will and stupid. Go send a dead fool. It's not fair. This is an insult to them. All wars are reprehensible in terms of trampling upon human dignity and the right to life. No war has a completely victorious, unpaid side. No war is worthy of praise without shadows. But that doesn't mean that people shouldn't fight wars, they shouldn't do what they think they're supposed to do, and they shouldn't defend what they think is worth defending. A young man like Edward Windham is a good young man to be regretted and admired in any age. I can't characterize their actions as "stupid" or "deceived". There are some pacifists I know who went to war, got medals, died on the field, or were seriously wounded. World War I consumed an entire generation of Britain's young elite. Losses are not proportional to gains. Can you say that this generation of young elites are all fools?

The Old Lie: Dulce et Decorum est pro patria mori. The sweetness and glory of dying for the motherland are but old lies. This is a verse written by war poet Owen when he was 24 years old. Owen returned to the front lines after writing the poem, was awarded the Merit Cross, and died a week before the armistice.

Edward Windham, who fought in Loos, Ypres, and the Somme, was killed by German snipers on September 22, 1916, two months and 22 days after his 19th birthday.

They are still remembered today.

Memento mori, everyone dies, but maybe we don't die more valuable than they were wasted. We in the age of peace, we who are lost, have no ideals, no beliefs, neither despicable nor noble. No matter how great an achievement is, it is nothing but mediocre compared to his predecessors.

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